• South Lake Tahoe Police Department’s K9 Trials is Sept. 27 starting at 8am. The patrol dog competition will be at Lakeview Commons.

• Bob Wheeler is now managing broker of the Incline Village office for Sierra Sotheby’s International Realty.

• The next Tapping Tuesday class is Sept. 2 from 6-7pm at Rejuvenate, which is behind Nephele’s on Ski Run Boulevard in South Lake Tahoe. Donations are accepted. For more info, contact Rosemary Manning at tahoehealthtouch@gmail.com or 530.541.6565.

• Barton Auxiliary is sponsoring a blood drive on Oct. 6 from noon-6pm. The event is at Lake Tahoe Resort Hotel in South Lake Tahoe. Donors may park for free at the hotel.

• Here are this week’s roadwork schedules from Caltrans for El Dorado-Tahoe and Sierra.

By Dave Nordstrand, Salinas Californian

One morning when Salinas’ Billy Harvey was a boy of 5 and still asleep, his parents arose.

Quietly as they could, they tiptoed to the front door and left the house.

“I never saw them again,” Harvey said.

Billy Harvey’s parents had put him and his two brothers in the care of an aunt. Then, they’d flown off to Lake Tahoe on what was supposed to be a fun-flight getaway, a day-long casino excursion. They planned to return home that night.

Only they, and many others, died in an airplane crash.

That was March 1, 1964, making this year the 50th anniversary of that disaster and its aftermath.

Billy Harvey is now 55. He drives a bus for special education children in the Salinas Union High School District.

In late July, Harvey, his wife and three children plus his brother, Jesse Harvey, and other family members headed for the Tahoe area.

First thing Harvey noticed was the crystal blue of the lake. He was stunned by the beauty of the setting. Harvey carried with him a wooden plaque, hand-painted and honoring his parents. “In Loving Memory of Billy and Patricia Harvey,” it said. He planned to leave it posted at the site where his parents had died 50 years ago.

At that site, Harvey found bits and pieces of the wreckage still scattered across the ground. “Shrapnel,” he called the fragments.

“I found pieces of the seat, pieces of the engine,” he said. “I took one piece back to Salinas. In a way, it was like bringing my mother and father home.

“Standing there on that site, I felt a peace that I hadn’t expected to feel,” Harvey said. “I cried. I would like to go again. It’s about keeping the memories alive now. It’s all about love.”

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By Anna Clark, Columbia Journalism Review

DETROIT — Deceptive political ads are one thing. But how about deceptive ads that trade on the credibility of journalism?

That’s what a Republican political group is trying out. This month, the National Republican Congressional Committee debuted at least 20 websites in key congressional districts—from Central Valley, California, to Augusta, Georgia—that are designed, albeit amateurishly, to look like news sites. One of them, “South Michigan Update,” sports the headline “Byrnes Struggles to Escape Her Record,” referring to Democrat Pamela Byrnes in Michigan’s 7th District. Like the other NRCC sites, the featured post attacks the Democratic candidate in the race. The piece has a byline credit to “Geoff,” though, as The Washington Post pointed out, most of “Geoff’s” posts are rewrites of content from the NRCC site. The spare South Michigan site has one other item: a video ad for the 7th District’s Republican incumbent, Tim Walberg, that is featured under the header, “Most Viewed.”

As Lester Graham, an investigative reporter with Michigan Radio, described it in a story that drew attention to South Michigan Update, the casual observer might easily mistake the fake news site for a real one. Because the NRCC is promoting the sites through localized Google search ads, according to the National Journal, readers may well stumble on them unwittingly: It’s the first item that comes up when you search for the Democratic candidates’ name. The NRCC did put a box at the very bottom of the sites indicating that they are paid political ads. But the sites seem designed for social sharing and email-forwarding—exactly the kind of delivery where readers are likely to read only the headline or first few paragraphs of the story. They wouldn’t even see the bottom of the page.

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Lake Tahoe’s only curling club is hosting the World Curling Federation on Sept. 6 from 8-9:30pm.

Lake Tahoe Epic Curling will then host a learn-to-curl session Sept. 7 from 5:30-8pm.

Both events are open to the public and are at the South Lake Tahoe Ice Arena on Rufus Allen Boulevard.

The World Curling Federation, headed by Kate Caithness of Scotland, is the world governing body of the Olympic Winter Sport of Curling and the Paralympic Winter Sport of Wheelchair Curling. U.S. Olympic Curler Ann Swisshelm will be in town for the event as well as local members of LTEC.

Sunday’s learn-to-curl session costs $25 per person ($15 for locals with a valid ID), which includes off-ice and on-ice instruction, plus game play. Wear comfortable sneakers with good tread and appropriate clothing. Send an email to info@tahoecurling.com to reserve a spot.

Dancing halls were once the rage in South Lake Tahoe. Photo/Lake Tahoe Historical Society Museum

In 1948, the Bijou Park Club boasted dancing. Harry Rose’s Bar hosted a community Easter Egg Hunt on Highway 50 not far from today’s Tahoe Meadows.

Years later, a two-story white wooden building near that site housed Armstrong Realty and Rentals which had apartments in the back. I rented a studio unit there in 1961 for $75 a month, utilities included. Parking in back was on a dirt driveway from Highway 50.

The South Shore in 1965. Photo/Bill Kingman

The 1965 photo shows that same section of Highway 50 as a shopping/business area including Lou’s Burgers, The Chef’s Inn, White House Realty, Milano Realty, and a Richfield gas station.

Over the years, some later businesses there included Bandana’s Pizza, Lumbleau School of Real Estate, Federico’s College of Hair Styling, Mountain High Records, and others. In wintertime, however, flooding of Highway 50 at Wildwood Avenue was a persistent problem and locals jokingly would refer to it as “Lake Wildwood.” A detour one block closer to Ski Run Boulevard was the intersection of Sonora Avenue and Highway 50. That intersection was covered/eliminated in the 1980s with construction of the Fantasy Inn.

This is the same location at the other photos as it exists in 2014. Photo/Bill Kingman

Redevelopment now has restored both sides of that Highway 50 area with vegetation and drainage control. Many motels and other businesses were razed near Wildwood Avenue where the Memorial Log, large lawn, and greenery now exist

— Bill Kingman

One of five lakes along a 5-mile roundtrip hike. Photos/Kathryn Reed

By Kathryn Reed

ALPINE MEADOWS – Small ripples float across the lake in the gentle breeze. A few ducks swim by to check out the four of us – five if you count AJ. She doesn’t faze them, even though she acts like they are intruding on our territory.

But where did all the people go?

There had been so many vehicles at the trailhead and several hikers along the way. But suddenly they were nowhere to be found.

Not that we were complaining. A private lunch spot along a lake in the Granite Chief Wilderness on a Sunday in August can be a rare experience. We embraced it.

Getting here was a bit of a climb at the start. The more than 900-feet of elevation gain is mostly at the beginning. It then levels off to where the ascent is hardly noticeable. Switchbacks are gradual so it doesn’t feel like you are in a spiral. The decomposed granite proved trickier coming down because it was slick. Poles would have been welcome.

The nearly five-mile roundtrip hike starts at 6,660 feet. The five lakes are at 7,520 feet. Maps call this cluster of lakes “5 Lakes” – they don’t have individual names.

One rock outcropping looks like a cumulus cloud made out of granite. Rounding another corner there is a wall of granite that looks like it would be fun if you were into rock climbing, but scary if it were ski season.

With much of the hike being so exposed, we wondered why we started in late morning. Sweat was dripping without exertion. Fortunately, there were shady spots to rest in. But it made sense why we saw so many people on their way out as we were just starting.

The trail starts on private land that separates Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley ski resorts. Owners of the resorts are getting close to solidifying a deal with the private property owner to link the ski areas.

Chairlifts from both resorts as well as the terminuses are visible from different vantage points. The base lodge for Alpine is a wide spot below us. A reminder of how much snow this slice of the Sierra gets is a sign at the trailhead telling people not to pick up unexploded avalanche shells.

Looking up at all the lifts it proves just how sprawling Squaw is. Plus, it’s a reminder this is not true wilderness.

The lakes are in Granite Chief Wilderness.

It was surprising to overhear backpackers talk about the other lakes in a manner that proved they had not seen them. For us, seeing all five lakes was the goal.

There is a distinct fork in the trail as the landscape changes and the tree canopy becomes denser. Go left to make your way around to all five lakes. If you go straight, you get to what we called Lake 5.

The first two lakes are more swampy, but still beautiful. They just don’t beckon one to swim. The three other lakes seem more swimmable, with Lake 5 being where people were in the water.

No one was at Lake 3 or 4, which were the two lakes the four of us preferred. Everyone was at Lake 5.

Even in the backcountry there are a couple signs of drought. No water is running in what are now dry streambeds. At Lake 3 the water mark on some of the boulders is about 2 feet higher than the surface.

Still, so much of the area around the lakes is lush – almost tropical. A few wildflowers are still out, but nothing glorious. But the hike itself and the lakes are spectacular. An extensive trail network exists here, including the Pacific Crest Trail.
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Getting there:

From South Lake Tahoe, go north on Highway 89 to Tahoe City. Turn left at the Y into Tahoe City toward Truckee. Turn left onto Alpine Meadows Road. (River Ranch is on the corner.) Drive 2 miles and the trailhead is on the right at the junction of the second Deer Park Drive.

Notes:
• Dogs are prohibited in parts of Granite Chief Wilderness from May 15-July 15 during fawning season.

ngg_shortcode_0_placeholder (Click on photos to enlarge.)

To the community,

Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe was the Adopt A Day of Nourishment sponsor for Bread & Broth’s dinner Aug. 25.

On behalf of her fellow AAD sponsor volunteer crew members, Sue Novasel explained the organization’s support of the B&B program: “Soroptimists are concerned about hunger in our local community and will continue to focus on this most important issue. We are honored to serve our community members in need.”

Bread & Broth would like to thank the Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe for the $250 donation, which fed over 105 dinner guests. One of the Soroptimist’s missions is to improve the lives of women and girls in their local community. By hosting the evening’s dinner, Soroptimist helped to feed an increasing number of those in need in our South Shore community, many of which are women who are elderly, in need of employment, raising young children or are homeless.

Joining Novasel as AAD sponsor volunteers were fellow Soroptimist members Pam Barrett, Mickey Madden, Julie Cathie and Brenda Knox. Also volunteering in the capacity as both Soroptimist members and B&B fourth week crew cooks were Cindy Archer, Soroptimist president, and Vicki Gonzales.

B&B is fortunate to work in partnership with the Soroptimist International of South Lake Tahoe members to improve the lives of those in our community. To help B&B as a donor or sponsor, contact me at 530.542.2876 or carolsgerard@aol.com.

Carol Gerard, Bread & Broth

Placer County Board of Supervisors this week authorized funding for a section of the Martis Valley Trail.

The proposed Class I bike path will be a corridor away from streets, roads and highways offering recreational opportunitie s not found on conventional roads. The 1.76-mile section of trail OK’d by the board will pass through areas of the Martis Valley, which sits between Truckee and the Tahoe Rim Trail.

The plan is for a 10.4-mile trail to eventually connect Truckee to North Lake Tahoe. The trail will run from the edge of Truckee, through Martis Valley and the Northstar Village, to the Fiberboard Freeway near Brockway Summit above Kings Beach. The project is part of a regional plan to create a paved Class 1 Bike Path connecting Truckee, Martis Valley, Northstar, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Alpine Meadows, Squaw Valley, and will include existing sections of Class 1 trail that run along the Truckee River, through Squaw Valley, and along the West Shore of Lake Tahoe.

The Martis Valley Trail will be located primarily on Placer County owned trail easements and when completed, will be operated by the county.

The board’s action on Tuesday approved a budget revision that will move $750,000 in park dedication fees collected from Park Dedication Fe
e Recreation Area #1, in the North Tahoe-Martis area and $254,150 from a grant awarded through the Housing-Related Parks Grant Program.

By Erin Beresini, Outside

In an 83-page call to action released last week, the Surgeon General declared war on skin cancer. Rates are on the rise faster than those of any other cancer, he says, though he doesn’t know exactly why. One thing is for certain: to avoid becoming one of his scary stats, you can’t rely on sunscreen.

Stanford University dermatologists found that people who relied solely on sunscreens for protection burned more than people who didn’t wear much sunscreen, but sought out shade, and wore a hat and long sleeves to guard against skin damage. As the Environmental Working Group, a non-profit environmental research organization based in Washington D.C., explains, scientists have conflicting opinions on whether or not sunscreen can help prevent melanoma.

Part of the problem is that sunscreens, especially in the U.S., do not protect equally against UVA and UVB rays. UVB rays cause sunburns, but UVA rays, which penetrate deeper into the skin can be equally damaging without leaving an obvious mark.

Currently in the U.S., many sunscreens may claim broad-spectrum protection without truly guarding users against both UVA and UVB rays. “The widespread marketing of sunscreens with SPF values of 50 to 100 means that consumers are increasingly (and unknowingly) selecting products with less proportional UVA protection,” EWG writes. “Newer, modern UVA-filtering ingredients developed for European sunscreens could remedy this problem.”

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By Neela Banerjee and Tony Barboza, Los Angeles Times

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff said Friday that the nation should tighten smog rules significantly, a step that would improve air quality in California but force costly new requirements on government and industry.

The EPA staff recommendation is the final step before the rule goes to the agency’s leadership and the White House. As a result of lawsuits by environmental and health groups, the agency must propose a new ozone rule by December and the final rule by October 2015.

Federal standards for ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog, have proved deeply contentious because they would compel many states, cities and industries to adopt new measures to cut air pollution at a cost of billions of dollars.

California would be particularly affected because much of the state does not meet the current, weaker standard for ozone that has been in place since 2008.

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